t of England
took part with this usurper (perhaps because they had honoured his uncle
so much, and honoured him for his uncle's sake), and there was hard
fighting; but, the King, with the assistance of his sister, gained the
day, and reigned in peace for four and twenty years. He gradually
extended his power over the whole of England, and so the Seven Kingdoms
were united into one.

When England thus became one kingdom, ruled over by one Saxon king, the
Saxons had been settled in the country more than four hundred and fifty
years. Great changes had taken place in its customs during that time.
The Saxons were still greedy eaters and great drinkers, and their feasts
were often of a noisy and drunken kind; but many new comforts and even
elegances had become known, and were fast increasing. Hangings for the
walls of rooms, where, in these modern days, we paste up paper, are known
to have been sometimes made of silk, ornamented with birds and flowers in
needlework. Tables and chairs were curiously carved in different woods;
were sometimes decorated with gold or silver; sometimes even made of
those precious metals. Knives and spoons were used at table; golden
ornaments were worn--with silk and cloth, and golden tissues and
embroideries; dishes were made of gold and silver, brass and bone. There
were varieties of drinking-horns, bedsteads, musical instruments. A harp
was passed round, at a feast, like the drinking-bowl, from guest to
guest; and each one usually sang or played when his turn came. The
weapons of the Saxons were stoutly made, and among them was a terrible
iron hammer that gave deadly blows, and was long remembered. The Saxons
themselves were a handsome people. The men were proud of their long fair
hair, parted on the forehead; their ample beards, their fresh
complexions, and clear eyes. The beauty of the Saxon women filled all
England with a new delight and grace.

I have more to tell of the Saxons yet, but I stop to say this now,
because under the GREAT ALFRED, all the best points of the English-Saxon
character were first encouraged, and in him first shown. It has been the
greatest character among the nations of the earth. Wherever the
descendants of the Saxon race have gone, have sailed, or otherwise made
their way, even to the remotest regions of the world, they have been
patient, persevering, never to be broken in spirit, never to be turned
aside from enterprises on which they have resolved. In